Consumers are increasingly concerned about purchasing and consuming products that the consumers view as being more healthful. For example, products possessing higher levels of complex carbohydrates and fiber, especially soluble fiber, are becoming more popular with consumers.
In addition, products containing lower levels of fat and cholesterol as well as a decreased caloric content are becoming more popular with consumers. Many consumers also desire products made from all-natural components that contain no stabilizers, emulsifiers, or other exogenous additives, such as refined sugars or artificial sweeteners.
One drawback of food products produced for the health conscious market is that they tend to be less sweet than conventional food products. One technique that has been used to overcome this drawback and thereby make such food products appeal to a greater portion of society is to add sweeteners, such as sucrose, glucose syrup, and high fructose corn syrup.
Even though the addition of the sweeteners increases the appeal of the food products to some segments of the health conscious market, these products are not desired by consumers who exclude refined or artificial sweeteners from their diet.
An article by Janet Raloff (Beyond Oat Bran, Food Technology 1991 vol. 8, page 62) describes the physiological benefits of consuming an oat-based product, which is identified by the name Oatrim. The oat-based product is formulated from either oat bran or oat flour. The article indicates that the odorless and nearly tasteless oat-based product is particularly suited as a fat replacement in low-temperature applications, such as frozen confections.
Oat-based food products are described in Inglett, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,996,063 and 5,082,673. A mixture of oats and water is gelatinized by passage through a steam injection cooker at a temperature of between 138° C. and 143° C. After the pH of the mixture is adjusted, alpha-amylase is added to hydrolyze the starch in the mixture.
Once hydrolyzation is complete, soluble fiber is separated from the mixture. Finally, the soluble fiber is dehydrated to provide the oat-based food product. Examples in the Inglett patents indicate that the oat-based food product is mixed with additional components, such as milk and sugar, to formulate the frozen confection.
Mitchell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,992, discloses using a dual enzyme method, which includes liquefying and saccharifying rice, to produce a high glucose syrup. Examples in the Mitchell et al. patent indicate that when the syrup is incorporated into a frozen confection, vegetable oil in a concentration of approximately 10 weight percent of the frozen confection as well as stabilizers are added to provide the frozen confection with a creamy texture. Mitchell et al. also indicates that liquefaction is performed at a temperature of approximately 80° C.
Whalen et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,685,974; 6,589,589; 6,395,314; 5,989,598 and 5,723,162, each describe a process for preparing an oat-based functional syrup and then forming an oat-based frozen confection from the oat-based functional syrup. The contents of the preceding patents are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
In addition to the fact that oats have a relatively high protein concentration of about 11 weight percent, the oat protein has the highest nutritive value of the commonly cultivated cereal grains such as corn (maize), wheat and rice.
For an ingredient to have commercial value for use in supplement formulations by adding significant amounts of protein such as between about 1 and 3 grams and optimally more per serving at common serving sizes such as between about 30 and 55 grams for cereal products and between about 240 and 320 grams for beverage products, the ingredient product would have to contain a substantial protein concentration.
Even though oats have a high protein concentration, for the oats to meet the preceding criteria for use in supplement formulations, the oats would need to be processed to increase the protein concentration.
Unlike soy and milk from which protein can be readily extracted and concentration, heretofore it has not been possible to readily extract and concentrate protein from oats. As such, oat protein is not a commercially available ingredient or commodity like soy or milk protein.